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Varieties of English is a free printable Grade 5 English worksheet on recognizing dialect and register differences, aligned to Common Core standard L.5.3. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

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Varieties of English

L.5.3

NameDate

Circle the right answer.

1.In a play, one character says "Good day to you, sir" and another says "Hiya!" What does the difference show?
  • A.The two characters speak in different registers
  • B.They are speaking different languages
  • C.One of them has made a mistake
2.Which sentence is in a formal register?
  • A.Get back to me!
  • B.I would be grateful if you could reply soon.
  • C.Write back soon, OK?
3.The narrator writes in standard English, but the characters speak in dialect. Why?
  • A.The author changed their mind halfway
  • B.So the characters' voices sound different from the narrator's
  • C.Because the narrator is not allowed to speak
4.What is a dialect?
  • A.A form of a language spoken in one place or by one group
  • B.A mistake in spelling
  • C.A kind of poem
5.You are writing dialogue for a character from a particular place. What should guide you?
  • A.Formal written standard, always
  • B.The shortest possible words
  • C.How that person would really speak
6.Why might an author write a character's speech in dialect?
  • A.To show where the character comes from and make them sound real
  • B.To make the story harder to read
  • C.Because dialect is the only correct way to write
7.Which is a dialect difference rather than an error?
  • A."I might could help" in some Southern US varieties
  • B.Spelling "their" as "there"
  • C.Forgetting the capital letter at the start of a sentence
8.Which word names how formal or informal language is for a situation?
  • A.register
  • B.rhyme
  • C.dialect

LessonPrint · L.5.3 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Varieties of English

Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.The two characters speak in different registers
  2. 2.I would be grateful if you could reply soon.
  3. 3.So the characters' voices sound different from the narrator's
  4. 4.A form of a language spoken in one place or by one group
  5. 5.How that person would really speak
  6. 6.To show where the character comes from and make them sound real
  7. 7."I might could help" in some Southern US varieties
  8. 8.register

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to L.5.3 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.